Fishing Report for Week Ending January 15, 2012

Fishing Reportfor Week Ending January 15, 2012

SALTWATER

OVERVIEW – Salmon fishing was FAIR for winter springs when the weather allowed you to get out on the water. Unfortunately, the weather was poor on the weekend and very few anglers got out fishing. Constance Bank andMoresbyIsland had the largest numbers of fish. Seals are still a problem for anglers fishing off ofVictoria. The seals do not appear to be a problem either west or north ofVictoria.

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Sooke – Salmon fishing was FAIR for winter springs up to 14 lbs. Most of the salmon are 6 to 8 lb fish. The fish are deep, from 120 to 160 feet on the downrigger, in 100 to 180 feet of water. Much of the action is coming from off the harbor and SecretaryIsland and along the Bluffs to the trailer Park. The fish are not very selective and being caught on all types of gear. Anchovies have been working best in Bloody Nose and Army Truck teaser heads. Hootchies and squirts are good in Purple Haze, Cloverleaf and Glo Below. The best flasher has been the Silver Betsey and Silver Fever Hot Spot. Cop Car or Green/Silver Coyote spoons have also been good for springs.

Becher Bay – Salmon fishing was GOOD for winter springs running up to 12 lbs in size. The fishing was good around the flagpole inside the bay and out toLambIsland for fish up to 8 lbs. The biggest salmon was caught near Beechey Head where a 12 lb spring was caught on Sunday. Anglers are reporting fish from theBedfordIslands too. The majority of anglers fishing for springs have switched from using bait to artificial lures as the fish are not very selective and being caught on all types of gear. Anchovies are still catching a lot of fish though. The best teaser heads for anchovies were the Purple Haze and the Bloody Nose. The best flashers have been the Green/Silver Hot Spots and Oki’s. Hootchies and squirts were good in White/Silver, Glo Below and Mint Tulip. Cop Car, Glow/Green or Green/Silver spoons have also been good for springs.

Pedder Bay – Salmon fishing had been GOOD during the week. Due to the weather, most anglers have been fishing in the bay near the yellow Can Buoy or the Deep Hole. Anglers have doing fairly well there. David Turenne pulled a 15 lb spring from the Deep Hole on Sunday and another angler picked up a 12 lb spring by the Yellow Buoy.WhirlBay was slow, but it was better closer in by Church Rock. There still is good fishing on the William Head side of the bay and inParryBay too. The fish are not very selective and being caught on all types of lures. Bloody Nose and Purple Haze teaser heads have been the most popular ones when using bait and the best flashers have been the Silver Betsey and Purple Haze. Hootchies and squirts were good in Glo Below, Mint Tulip and Purple Haze. Coho Killer spoons in Green/White and Green/Silver Coyote spoons have also worked very well for the springs.

Victoria Waterfront – Salmon fishing was FAIR this past weekend out at Constance Bank. Almost all the boat s came back from there had some fish, or reported releasing smaller 3 to 5 lb, but legal, springs. Most of the springs were less than 8 lbs, but there was the odd bigger one around. The east side of the bank was hot for those anglers bottom bouncing in 120’ to 150’ of water. The seals are still a problem for some anglers on the bank. Close in, anglers were getting fish up to 12 lbs while fishing betweenEsquimalt and Clover Point. However, there was not nearly as much action as there was offshore. Anchovies have been working best in Mint Pearl and Bloody Nose teaser heads. Coho Killers, Green/Glow and Army Truck spoons are working well for winter springs. Hootchies and squirts are good in Electric Chair, Cloverleaf and Glo Below. Good flashers have been the Green/Glow and Green/Silver Hot Spots.

Oak Bay – Salmon fishing had been FAIR on the Flats for winter springs up to 10 lbs. Anglers are catching the fish while trolling in the Gap and on the Flats. The best bet is trolling right on bottom in 100 to 150 feet of water with squirts, Baitrix tiny strip, small anchovy or Coho Killer spoons. Good squirts are the Cloverleaf, J-79 and Electric Chair. With spoons, 3½” or 4” Gypsy, Titans, and Coyotes in Cop Car or Silver/Green colors and the Gold Star Coho Killer. Glow in the dark flashers would be the best choice for springs now.

Sidney – Salmon fishing was GOOD aroundSidney.MoresbyIsland was the best spot for numbers of fish for anglers trolling right on the bottom in 150 to 160 feet. The Sidney Channel from thePowderWharf south to nearDarcyIsland had been a productive area, but the fish have been smaller there. There are lots of fish around the minimum size length but a few bigger ones too. Many anglers have been fishing for springs using anchovies in Bloody Nose, Purple Haze and UV Green teaser heads. Squirts have been out producing hootchies recently and the hot patterns for springs now are the J-79, Glow Below and Electric Chair. Mongoose Coyote spoons have also been working well. Homemade Tiny Strip is also working very well.

OVERVIEW – Fishing is SLOW on the local lakes for both trout and bass in this cold, winter weather. Steelhead are now showing up in the rivers.

Cowichan River – The water level on theCowichanRiver is just over 1. meters with good clarity to the water. This cold snap should further reduce the water levels. Anglers have reported slower fishing recently, but that may change aas the water level drops. The Riverbottom and Bible Camp areas have been the best area to fish. For steelhead, good lures to fish are Spin ‘n Glo’s, Corkies, Gooey Bobs and the always reliable Pink Worm. Although many anglers are successful catching winter runs on flies, most anglers chose to use floats and gear.

Local Lakes – Troutfishing is SLOW on most lakes in theSouth Island area. As the water temperature drops the fish are not as active causing the action to slow down. However, you can get some big fish this time of year. Bruce York, age 10, caught a 22.5" and 4.8 lb rainbow trout on aWillow leaf gang troll and black wedding band with a leech chaser atLangfordLake. Also on Saturday, Arden Ereiser landed a 22” 3 lb rainbow trout atElkLake.

Many anglers are catching trout on both Powerbait, Gulp! Eggs, or worms. Fly anglers are mostly using Wooly Buggers or leech patterns. Trollers have been doing OK with a variety of lures but we’ve heard tat the Orange Hot Shot has been good. Chris Jones sent us pictures of 22” and 18” rainbows from fullerLakethat he caught on the Orange Hot Shot. The Rhys Davis Baitrix Trout lures and UV Mini Strip Teasers work well for larger fish too. Other good trolling lures are the Apex Trout Killers with the police car one of the best and the black with silver glitter spots taking second place. Flatfish and/or Kwikfish have also been effective in sizes 5 to 7 in Frog, Yellow with Red Spots or Blue/Silver. Smaller Rapalas in Rainbow Trout or Brown Trout patterns also work well. Lastly,WillowLeafLaketrolls with a worm-tipped GIBBS Wedding Band will almost always catch some fish. The biggest trout continue to be caught atElkLakewithLangfordLakebeing your next best bet to hook into a real “lunker”. By the way, all wild rainbows and cutthroats over 50 cm must be released inCowichanLake.

Bass Fishing - Bass fishing is SLOW. Slower presentations such as soft plastics work as the water cools. As winter approaches, look for the fish to move into deeper water and suspend. They might become less active and take a little more “coaxing” to bite. Langford Lake, ShawniganLake, Prospect Lake and Elk and Beaver Lakes are the best local bass lakes. St. Mary’s Lake onSaltSpringIsland is also a great lake for bass fishing.

Reels aren’t emotional! They don’t get excited and clamp down on big, fast, running fish. If you want to land more big fish, preset your reels drag and let the reel do the work. Forget about busting your knuckles while palming the spool of your mooching reel. In fact, don’t palm the reel at all. Let the drag do the work.

Island Outfitters Leader Board – 2011

Congratulations to our 2011 winners!

Halibut

1) 231.4 lbs – Terry Zarelli – Race Rocks area – Octopus- March 25th

2) 194.4 lbs – Al Crow – Sooke – Salmon Head – May 14th

3) 127.5 lbs – Reg Day – Sidney– June 26th

4) 124.6 lbs – Todd Steen – Sidney– May 27th

5) 101.9 lbs – Reg Day – Sidney – June 27th

Salmon

1) 47.1 lbs – Ian Robinson – Port Renfrew – Anchovy – July 29th

2) 40.0 lbs – Dave Stubbs – Constance Bank – Hootchy – August 20th

3) 36.4 lbs – Brandon Salter – Waterfront – Anchovy – August 7th

4) 33.0 lbs – Bill Campbell – Trap Shack – Anchovy – July 5tth

5) 32.8 lbs – Joe Zammit – Trap shack – Anchovy – July 16th

2012 DERBIES and EVENTS

Island Outfitters starts and ends the year with the free for fun and prizes Salmon and Halibut Leader Board. Simply weigh your catch in at Island Outfitters and the top five fish in each category on December 31st wins a special prize. Everybody who enters a fish gets a prize! Maybe it will be you bringing in the big one!Please let us know as early as possible about your up coming events in 2012!

See our event pages for upcoming events!

April 6th and 7th: Island Outfitters 18th Anniversary Sale: Ourstorewide annual sale with LOTS of great deals and bargains.

April 14th. The 5th Annual Elk Lake Take a Kid Fishing Derby. Tickets are Adults - $25, Children under 16 - $10. All ticket holders are entered into the draw for a new boat and motor package. First place prizes of $1,000 for the largest tout and the largest bass. This derby has live release weigh boats and weigh-station located strategically on the lake. For more info contact us at 350-475-4969.

May 12th and 13th: The16th Annual Just for the Halibut Derby. First prize is $7,500 cash, 2nd prize is $2,500, and 3rd prize is $1,000 cash. A hidden weight “Bonus” prize is sponsored by SG Power. Tickets are available at Island Outfitters, Pedder Bay Marina or Cheanuh Marina. Call 250-475-4969 for more information.